Richard Hughes cannot take £61m risk as new asking price for defender emerges

Liverpool’s search for defensive reinforcements ahead of the 2025-26 campaign has taken a complicated turn after Juventus centre-back Gleison Bremer was priced at £61 million by Italian outlet Calcio Mercato. While the Brazilian international has been intermittently linked with a move to Anfield for several seasons, the fresh valuation has intensified debate inside the club’s recruitment meetings, with sporting director Richard Hughes reportedly reluctant to sanction such a sizeable outlay.

The Merseyside club, already committed to a £55 million deal for France Under-21 defender Jeremy Jacquet, recognise that further additions at centre-back are essential. Yet sources close to the negotiations indicate that Bremer’s age, injury record and lack of Premier League experience combine to make the 28-year-old a high-risk proposition. Across his professional career, Bremer has spent 71 matches sidelined through various ailments, a statistic that has set off alarm bells within Liverpool’s medical and performance departments.

Compounding the hesitation is the player’s modest international profile. Despite earning call-ups for Brazil, Bremer remains uncapped in competitive senior fixtures and has yet to reach double figures for his country, raising questions about his readiness for the physical and tactical demands of English football. With Liverpool’s transfer strategy increasingly focused on long-term squad building rather than short-term fixes, coaching staff fear that a nine-figure investment in a defender approaching his thirtieth birthday would represent a departure from recent policy.

Manager Arne Slot, preparing for his first full season in charge, is said to favour a younger, more versatile profile who can grow alongside the club’s emerging talents. Internal scouting reports have therefore shifted toward alternatives who combine durability with resale value, attributes viewed as non-negotiable after the club’s previous experiences in the market.

While Juventus are understood to be open to negotiations, the Serie A giants have shown no willingness to lower their valuation, leaving Hughes with a stark choice: gamble on Bremer’s fitness and adaptability, or redirect funds toward targets who better fit Liverpool’s evolving blueprint. For a club determined to reclaim domestic and European supremacy, the latter option appears increasingly likely.